MDCAT 2026 is being held today, Sunday, 20 September 2026. Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), Islamabad, is conducting the test for candidates in Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Riyadh.
The registered numbers are 1,245 in Islamabad, 2,761 in AJK and 1,721 in Gilgit-Baltistan, and 237 candidates will sit the test at the Riyadh centre. That makes 5,964 in all. The exam was originally scheduled for 16 August and postponed on the Prime Minister’s directions.
Because of internet problems in AJK, candidates there are being given hard copies of the exam material
Universities, not PMDC itself, run the test. PMDC supplies the framework, syllabus and question bank, and the universities follow its standards in paper setting and result declaration. That means the SZABMU paper draws on the same framework used in every other region.
MDCAT 2026 SZABMU question paper and answer key
Candidates can review the SZABMU question paper and answer key here soon. Stay updated for Full Answer Key.
To estimate your score, match each of your answers against the key and count the correct ones. PMDC’s minimum passing marks are 55% for MBBS and 50% for BDS. For registration, curriculum and format queries, contact PMDC (examination@pmdc.pk). For test conduct, centres and results, contact SZABMU.
MDCAT 2026 paper pattern
The paper has 180 multiple-choice questions worth 180 marks, to be solved in three hours, and there is no negative marking. The questions are split as 81 Biology, 45 Chemistry, 36 Physics, nine English and nine Logical Reasoning. Each province gets its own paper, with at least two versions per province. PMDC built a bank of around 8,000 questions with about 80 subject experts.
Results, merit lists and admissions come next. MBBS and BDS applicants should watch SZABMU and PMDC announcements for merit list dates and closing merit trends.
